Atomic Theory
by Carnivorous Mushroom
Summary: Because Matt had nothing better to do than to compare atoms to people. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own Death Note.

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**Atomic Theory**

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Matt was never the type to over-analyze every, little thing; at least not like his former peers at Wammy's House did.

_Those kids were batty,_ Matt thought with a shadow of a smirk on his face. They compared life to the most abstract objects; meaningless metaphors and absurd allegories that the children made up to waste time.

Matt always thought them stupid, and that's why he hated having to take those stupid literature classes back at the orphanage he had grown up in. He didn't see why Shakespeare had to use so many _goddamn _metaphors to describe something that could be described in a few, blunt words. He didn't see how the artichoke in Pablo Neruda's poem represented communism and political strife. He saw everything logically and in numbers. He saw the world as it was: a hunk of mass somewhere in the universe with living beings inhabiting it.

Nothing more, nothing less.

But now, as he turned on the television to some T.V. show describing the atomic theory, Matt couldn't help but began to analyze the atom, and apply it to his situation. Well, _Mello's_ situation.

"Thanks to the deceased Mr. Ernest Rutherford and his gold foil experiment," The lady narrating the television program spoke, "We know that the atom consists of a nucleus and an electron cloud. Rutherford shot alpha particles…" Matt toned out the voice of the woman, and his mind began to wander.

Of course, the theory behind atoms was something Matt had learned when he had been only a wee lad, so he was no stranger to its basic principles. But now, his over-creative mind formulated a different, far less logical theory of the atom.

_The nucleus of the atom and its electrons, _Matt mused, _they're like Mello and Near._

He could see it clearly. There is no atom if either the nucleus, or the equally significant electrons are absent; therefore, the atom (or absence thereof) cannot perform its function. Though he would never voice this thought to Mello, Matt believed that Mello could not solve the case without Near, and vice versa for Near as well. The two needed each other (_completed_ each other), if they wanted to catch the demented Kira, that is.

And then he thought of how the nucleus was pretty much stationary, while the electrons roamed about. The electrons were energetic, and not at all lethargic, similar to Mello, yet the nucleus stayed put in the same spot as always, resembling Near.

"Of course, thanks to research, we know that there are three basic subatomic particles: the proton, the neutron, and the electron; their charges being positive, neutral, and negative respectively." The lady rambled on, bringing Matt to reality for a moment.

"Wait a minute, what the hell am I doing?" The indolent redhead shook his head; the messy mop of his hair becoming even more disheveled. "Man, I must be really bored if I have to go and get all philosophical like that. Next thing I know I'm gonna go all Sigmund Freud." He snorted.

Matt languidly took a cigarette out of its pack and stuck it in his mouth, but before he could get his lighter out, his mind began to crawl back to his philosophical reflection.

Nucleus and electrons: Near and Mello.

Matt's eyebrows scrunched together when he began to question where he fell into the equation. Maybe he didn't deserve a spot. Maybe he wasn't important enough.

_Not like I care,_ Matt snorted inwardly as his fingers began to tap compulsively against the worn-out, mahogany loveseat.

Or did he?

Then his boyish face lit up in enlightenment, and he smirked. "Neutrons." Matt spoke to himself, removing his orange-tinted goggles to reveal jade eyes lit up in realization. "Mello is an electron, Near a proton, and I'm… a neutron."

But then Matt realized that neutrons weren't really all that interesting. They were neutral. They had no charge. They were just kind of there.

_Kind of like me,_ Matt frowned pathetically.

Protons and electrons, now they _are_ exciting. They're opposites - positive and negative. Yet despite this major difference that would usually deter progress, it somehow works out. Mello hates Near, yet they somehow are connected in such a way that they must work together, because together, they could defeat Kira. Kill Kira.

Because together, they are even more intelligent (_stronger, better)_ than the original "atom"; L.

But Matt was a boring neutron. Just kind of there. Trying to help, but never quite making much of an impact. Not electric like Mello, and not overly brilliant like Near.

The redhead's thoughts are brought abruptly to an end when the door to the cruddy apartment Matt shares with Mello flings open almost violently.

"_Bloody Hell_, Mello! Can you be a bit more discrete when you open the door? You almost gave me a damn heart attack!" The redhead jumped off the couch, obviously distraught at having been brought down to reality so harshly.

Mello says nothing as he plops down on a nearby chair, taking a chocolate bar out from apparently nowhere and biting a huge chunk out of it.

"Ah, so you went to the PMS supplies store to buy more chocolate. Did you at least get me batteries for my game?" Matt questioned, his hand outstretched.

"That joke is getting old." Mello informed, but nevertheless, threw a battery pack at him. There was a pause before Mello spoke up once again, "Matt, about tomorrow; don't screw up, alright? You're very important to the plan, so make sure you… focus." Mello warned.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Matt?"

"_What_?"

"Don't be reckless tomorrow. Nothing should happen to you, but…"

"One can't ever be too careful, right? Just chill, dude. And stop nagging; you're acting like an overly-worried woman." Matt advised, but seeing Mello's sad azure eyes; he realized that one can't really "chill" if their end is near.

"Yeah, right." The blonde clad in black leather was about to take another munch off of his chocolate, but instead, he set it down and buried his face in his hands.

"I'm gonna go take a drag outside." Matt said awkwardly. The redhead sluggishly made his way to the small balcony of the apartment, finally lighting up the forgotten cigarette that lay in his mouth.

And then Matt smiled, because neutrons really weren't all that boring, now that he thought about it. Because if there were too many or too little, the whole atom would be unstable.

Because he could make the whole atom an isotope. So maybe his existence itself was important.

"Too bad that this is the end for this neutron…"

Because Matt knew he was going to die.

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**Author's Note:** Well, I have to admit: that was weird. I guess this comes from an overactive imagination… Well, I chose to center this story on Matt because I thought he needed more attention. And because I just love him. He's such a mystery, but that makes him all the more interesting. Sorry if there's any mistakes, I kind of wrote this on impulse.

Well, I'm out, peeps. Please leave a review; this author loves reading all of your thoughts.


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